Seizures alone are not enough to contain tiger crime. Efforts must result in prosecutions, convictions and strong penalties, said John E. Scanlon, secretary general of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

"If we get the enforcement system right for the tiger, we will help save countless other species together with their ecosystems," he said.

"If we lose an emblematic species like the Tiger, mankind will be acknowledging that it is prepared to lose any animal on the planet. This must not be allowed to happen." Yury Fedotov said.